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Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

fortune.com

171–180 of 378 posts

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#171

Fascinating to see how many tech people, as soon as they get rich, turn to extreme. Name them all - they mostly all are very active on X, and each new tweet pushes the limits of what was previously deemed unacceptable. I'm rich, so my opinion must be more important, right?

Honestly just my experience, but I've found it ironic that finance bros in my circle have gone the other way i.e. the effective altruism, philosophizing, podcasting route. While tech bros are now turning openly elitist, and in some cases, racist. And before anyone claims it's selection bias from within my left-leaning circle, I was well involved within the Tory circus until recently (a couple of years back).

I think it might be because the tech bros got into a one-off event where a lot of people did and could've made money (as long as they were somewhat intelligent). Now the writing is on the wall that growth in the future will stall, as the sector takes up a larger portion of the economy,and positions of power will stabilise. Some of them probably believe turning elitist and racist could ensure them a better position for a while.

Maybe I'm trying to rationalise their behaviour too much but it feels like techbros have gotten a scarcity mindset.

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#174
post #112
post #82

Paywalled articles seem to enhance the "comment without reading, based on vibes" effect. From the article: "Pension recipients should have their financial futures “locked in and guaranteed,” but in return would be reclassified as “dependents” and lose the right to vote—the same way minors can’t vote. A reply from “Eric Thor,” who claimed to be a retired banking executive as well as “armchair economist and policy wonk…

And a husband who works and his wife who doesn't, should she get a vote? The commentators here are responding exactly to the spirit of what was said, there's no confusion on what's really being implied here. Namely, the destruction of the entire basis of democracy, which is one person one vote. Another way to express the general disgust: that proposal is saying, "we're going to take away your power, but we'll still l…

I've already heard discussions in the last year that married women shouldn't vote. Their husbands would cast two votes. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=%22household+voting%22

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#175

Tax the rich. And by that I mean people who "earn" their wealth through mechanisms that aren't direct income. Heck, give an exception to the tax on the first million of non-income based wealth. But something has to change because their money is their power and they deserve less of it.

My biggest problem with “tax the rich” is: then what? Build another “high-speed train”? Spend the money on some fake nonprofit run by the same rich people?

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#176

Fascinating to see how many tech people, as soon as they get rich, turn to extreme. Name them all - they mostly all are very active on X, and each new tweet pushes the limits of what was previously deemed unacceptable. I'm rich, so my opinion must be more important, right?

I think too many billionaires convince themselves it was fate and scramble their brains under the weight of figuring out what the greater purpose is for their extraordinary wealth and influence.

The asymptotic equivalent of $20 "burning a hole in your pocket"

Here's to hoping for more batmans and less lex luthors

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#177
post #94

And the fall of Shopify begins now.

He's been a turd that any reasonable person would endorse stripping of his wealth for years. Hasn't affected the bottom line one whit.

He’s working on it. Never let a narcissist know you figured him out. They will continue.

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#178
post #12

How about that: If you are a billionaire you lose your voting rights because you are already powerful enough and don’t need that extra power

There are only 900 billionaires in the U.S. Do you think if they lost their voting rights it would affect the outcome of even a single election whatsoever?

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#179

> one that would strip voting rights from anyone who pays no income tax It could be an interesting thought experiment to consider the second and third order consequences, even if, from first principles this is a non-starter in a democratic society. First off all, what percent of people do not pay any taxes on income? What portion of them are poor vs. hedge fund managers or other super wealthy people who have structur…

Trump paid about $750 in taxes in 2016 while still claiming to be a billionaire. I wouldn't consider it a fair share, but would that $750 entitle him to a vote under this plan?

>Trump paid about $750 in taxes in 2016 while still claiming to be a billionaire

Right, because the tax system (generally) taxes income, not wealth. Not taking this into account is like asking "you're millionaire, yet you don't have any income, how come?" to a retiree. According to the new york times article that broke this story, most of it seems to be from his loss making businesses elsewhere. Moreover in recent years he has been paying tax, as those losses have stopped.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/27/us/donald-tru...

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#180
post #28

The thing about this that's so distasteful is that it removes the basis of enfranchisement from being the inherent worth of a human life and moves it more to "what have you done for me lately". It's pretty gross.

There's numerous examples of commune societies evicting people who refuse to contribute.

The distasteful thing is people refusing to contribute to society, especially for long periods of time. I know many people who have various mental and physical disabilities (some severe) who insist on working. Some able-bodied people can't even match some with severe disabilities. It's sick.

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